Home
by WellDoneBeca
Summary: Cassiopeia was always a planner. Whenever in her life, she always had a future established and steady ground under her feet. After rebelling against her family, that changed drastically. Now the second wizarding war has started, and she needs to find her place in a totally new life. Good thing George is there to back her up because it's not gonna be easy.
1. I

Cassiopeia took a long breath, staring at the closed chest in front of her.

"You will have to open it eventually," her aunt said behind.

This was the second week she spent with the Tonks, and things were slowly getting in place. The teen had her own bedroom right beside her cousin's and was slowly adapting onto having muggle things around the house, and her mother's sister – along with her husband – had welcomed her with open arms into the household.

Cassiopeia had the same rules as Tonks when it came down to them; she didn't have a bedtime, but there should be no noise after 10 pm, and she was expected to be home before half past midnight unless she talked to them priorly. Boys were allowed but permission to stay the night wasn't automatically granted and should be discussed prior to arrival.

Her aunt was a caring woman who knew almost exactly what Cassiopeia was going through and was helping her transition as best as she could. She was even teaching her niece how to cook when she arrived early enough from work to catch her making dinner.

"Are you sure nothing is gonna jump out of it and eat me?" Cas muttered.

She had been using what she had from Hogwarts since arriving, and the chest was staring her down ever since.

"If I still know my sister, no," the woman rested a hand on her niece's back, rubbing a spot in a way to try and comfort her. "She's your mother, dear. Besides, if anything was bound to happen, it would have already happened. It's been 2 weeks."

Cassiopeia nodded slowly. Yes, she was right; her mother wouldn't try to harm her. What was she thinking?

The girl reached out, finally opening the chest, and finding that the content was just… Stuff. Clothes, shoes, jewellery and objects that she had around her old room or in her safe.

"She sent you some clothes," Andromeda tried to sound cheerful. "Let's give them a look."

'Some' wasn't exactly the word she should have used. When the two started pulling the girl's clothes out, it was clear that everything she ever owned was in there. Soon, the bed was completely covered in piles and piles of clothing and boxes and more boxes of shoes.

"I think that's enough," Cassiopeia decided, stopping. "I already know everything is here, I don't need further proof."

Andromeda only hummed a confirmation sound, and she stood up, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Can you help me pick some stuff up?" the blonde girl questioned shyly. "I'll just put the rest of it back, but I need something to wear to work."

She nodded. Her aunt had been nothing less than helpful in the times Cassiopeia was there, and she was very thankful for it; without her, the girl would be lost and homeless. She was still, however, very much uncomfortable with being with them. This wasn't her house nor her home, the bed wasn't the one she 'd lied down back at the mansion nor the one at Hogwarts, she was living with people she had just met and she had to learn things that people younger than her already knew about life.

It was a lot.

The two of them filled her wardrobe with anything that would be useful in her day to day life, and stored the rest right back in her luggage again, putting it in the corner of the room in case she needed it again.

"Come on," she stood. "Let's get dinner ready."

Cassiopeia followed her downstairs, trying her best to cheer up. George would be coming over later and she wanted to at least try and make something to be presented in the meal – even if it was chopped potatoes.

Truth is… Cassiopeia was not good in the kitchen. In her two weeks living with her aunt, the girl had managed to burn herself taking food from the oven _and _with boiled water, and cut her finger and hand at least once every time she had to chop or peel something. Andromeda didn't allow her anywhere close to the stove alone, and as far as Cas had tried, her only ability was to make tea. She couldn't even say that she could heat up milk, because she was prone to forget she had left it heating and it would most likely spill before the girl could do anything to stop it.

"Cassiopeia," Andromeda called her niece's name, making her turn her attention to her aunt while trying to peel the potato in her hands with the least possible damage – to both herself and the vegetable.

"Do you plan on joining the order?" her voice was carefully nonchalant, though Cassiopeia knew what lied behind it.

Honestly, the girl didn't know. Yes, she supported the order – Merlin, would she have given up on her whole life if she didn't think that You-Know-Who's cause was vile and despicable? - but fully joining them was a big stretch. She wasn't an Auror or a fighter, far from it.

"I don't know," the blonde teen decided to say. "Maybe one day if they need me. If this war goes on for long, you know?"

She hummed in confirmation.

"I'm not that good of a warrior," she confessed. "I'm good with potions and organisations, and I thought about joining the Ministry, but I don't trust that they are actually a safe choice. Father has too many connections there, that's not good at all.

A soft knock on the door of the kitchen made the two turn their heads to the side, and Tonks entered the room with a smile.

"I see you got through a whole potato with your hand intact," she noticed and her cousin rolled her blue eyes. "Congratulations."

"Shut up," Cassiopeia felt her cheeks warming up.

"Don't tease her, Dora," her aunt said without moving her eyes from her own tasks. "Your cousin is trying her best."

But the two only smiled. It was good to live with Tonks, Cas could understand a bit of Draco's side on their relationship, with her trying to overprotect him but still bugging the hell out of his mind sometimes.

"So…" Tonks cleared her throat. "You're making dinner."

"Yes."

"And George is coming to have dinner with us."

"Yes."

She hesitated a bit, and Cassiopeia turned to glance at her direction, noticing how her hair was changing into several different colours, one after the other.

"I was wondering if we could have Remus over too."

The blonde frowned to herself at how nonchalant she was _trying _to sound.

"I don't see any problem, but we're not making anything special."

The metamorphmagus opened a suspiciously big smile.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem," she assured the two in the kitchen before suddenly standing up and running out.

Well, Cassiopeia would certainly interrogate her about that later.

Cas finished peeling the vegetables with a single accident before her aunt sent her to her room to 'get ready for George', which for the girl was a bit pointless; she worked with George, the two saw each other on a daily basis and, sometimes, in very unflattering ways. Still, she didn't protest and walked to her room anyway.

* * *

"I can't believe she actually lets you close the door with me here," George sat on his girlfriend's bed with a silly and playful jump.

"I still can't believe she even gave me a room," Cassiopeia pointed out, sighing.

Truth be told, she couldn't hide things from George and soon after moving in she'd told him about what she had actually planned to do after Sirius' death. He was hurt, of course, but didn't hold it against her for long.

"But she did," he reminded the blonde girl and reached to pull her into his arms and down the comfortable mattress. "And that's a great thing. The privacy too."

Her boyfriend's moved his lips down to her neck, and she couldn't help but giggle in response as his skin tickled hers.

"_George..."_ she whined a bit. "They are literally down the hall."

"So what? I'm not doing anything wrong."

But he was making _her _want to do _everything_ that could be considered wrong.

Gently, his hand moved to Cassiopeia's face and her boyfriend took her sweet lips in a kiss, soon holding her body against his with a strong grip.

"Mum wants you to have lunch with us this weekend," he said in between kisses. "And Bill wants to introduce us to his new girlfriend."

Cassiopeia tried to breathe in, jumping a bit when his large hand wrapped itself around her thigh tentatively under her dress. It was the first time he had ever tried to make that contact with her.

"Is that okay?" he whispered.

Cassiopeia opened her eyes to find his.

"Your brother's girlfriend? I don't know, I haven't met her."

"No," he chuckled. "Me touching you," he made circles on her skin. "Here."

The girl licked her lips.

"Yeah. Totally fine."

He went back to kissing her, to which his girlfriend enthusiastically followed him.

Cassiopeia weren't sure how long had passed since she had lied there, but the girl had just worked up the courage to put her hand under his shirt when a knock on the door made the two pull away and her boyfriend to fall on the floor of the bedroom.

The door opened and her aunt's husband stood there with a polite smile but a strong look on his face.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Mister Tonks said politely, but still not leaving space for protests. "Your mother will be worried if you get home too late, George."

Looking as red as his hair, Cas' boyfriend put himself on his knees, making his head stand out from his place.

"Of course, sir."

The blonde felt her whole face burning in embarrassment and stood up from the bed, fixing her dress.

"I'll walk you out."

Mister Tonks smiled again to the two teens, still holding the door open and waiting while George recomposed himself and followed her outside the room.

Cassiopeia walked her boyfriend out silently outside the house, where it was finally possible to apparate, and he leaned in to kiss her lips before taking his wand in his hand.

"See you at work tomorrow," he smiled.

"Bye."

And with that, he was gone. 


	2. II

Cassiopeia took a bite of the toast in her hands in silence and raised her head when Tonks walked into the dining room.

"Any sausage left?" she inquired.

"You can have mine," the blonde pointed at her plate. "I've got plenty of eggs."

She thanked her cousin, sitting down by her side and snatching the meat from her plate to hers. Working at the store with the twins meant that the blonde had to run around it all day, cleaning, restocking, dealing with customers and looking for products over and over – and over – again. She never stopped or even sat down. After the girl had fainted on the second day of the job, she had become more careful and storing more energy, which meant that her intake of food had increased quite a bit.

"I'll be late today," the girl informed the small family around her. "George said that Bill wants to introduce his new girlfriend to the family. And, apparently, I'm part of the family now, so… They want me there."

Tonks elbowed her cousin on the side with a wicked grin.

"Welcome to a serious relationship!" she teased the blonde. "What's gonna be next? George is gonna show up and propose to you?"

Cassiopeia felt her face, neck, and ears burning hot in embarrassment, and her aunt turned to her daughter with a displeased look on her face.

"Dora, don't tease your cousin!"

She laughed out loud.

"What? It's not like she doesn't want it! She's deeply, madly, and insanely in love with George," she pointed out, her voice lowering from an exclamation to a simple explanation tone. "And, honestly, they are the cutest couple."

Cassiopeia lowered her head, and Mr. Tonks cleared his throat.

"Tell Molly and Arthur I said hi when you get there, will you?"

"Sure."

"And don't forget to pack something pretty for the dinner," her aunt instructed. "You don't want to be in the same clothes from work, you always get home with something crazy on them."

She held back a smile.

"Yes, ma'am."

. . .

Seeing George in the morning never failed to make Cassiopeia happy. He was always glad to see her, engulfing her in a hug and kissing her until Fred started making gagging noises.

"Did anyone check on the love potions?" she questioned, checking the shelves for anything out of the normal. The three cleaned everything up every morning before opening and every night after closing, and that wasn't exactly her favourite part of the job.

"Can you go?" Fred questioned. "I think they are supposed to be ready now."

"I'm on my way," Cassiopeia jumped out of the ladder, grinning at the sight of her boyfriend chuckling.

"You keep getting her off of cleaning duty every day," he looked at his brother.

"I want to be on her good side. Your girlfriend can be cruel if she wants to, and she's too good of a potion maker to have as an enemy."

The blonde shook her head, entering the stock room and moving right to the brewing cauldrons. Fred was right, it was ready to be bottled.

The weak love potion was one of the biggest sellers of the store along with its antidote – which she had finished just yesterday -, so the girl was pretty much always producing and bottling new ones every three days.

Cassiopeia enjoyed all that; working in the store and having a routine was something that was slowly finding its place as some sort of dream life for her. She felt good working, which was a bit of a surprise. Never in her life had the blonde imagined she'd say such a thing.

When the girl finished with the love potions, it was already opening time, so she ran to restock it, and had to hold back a frown at how a young boy she knew to be a Gryffindor jumped in surprise when he saw her. He wasn't the first one, and probably wouldn't be the last, to be shocked to see the Malfoy girl there.

"Can I help you with something?" she turned to him, holding a now empty box by her side.

He blushed deeply, and she held herself from rolling her eyes. Cassiopeia still needed to work on her skills regarding strangers.

"I'm looking for something to prank my brother."

The blonde young woman gave the request a momentary thought.

"What kind of prank?"


	3. III

"Do you know anything about her?" Cassiopeia enquired George, leant on the doorway of his bedroom with her back turned to him while her boyfriend changed into a new – clean – shirt.

"Nope," he seemed to struggle a bit and curiosity rippled under the girl's skin, but she kept her back turned, resisting. She said she wouldn't look and she would keep her words. "Hey… Green or blue?"

The blonde frowned for a moment.

"Sweater or just a shirt?"

"It's a bit hot for a sweater. I'm planning or a shirt and then something over."

Cas hummed in confirmation.

"I like it when you wear blue. You should put that jacket I always say I like over."

A couple of minutes later, George tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder, making her jump in surprise and look at him. He was dressed exactly as she had recommended.

"Well?" he opened his arms.

"Handsome," Cassiopeia smiled, reaching for him and giving a peck on his lips for a short moment. "Come on, or your mother is gonna chase us down."

He chuckled, but followed her down, stopping by the end when both were at the same level and smiling as she played with the neck of his jacket.

"You never said what you thought of my dress."

George's eyes deviated down to his girlfriend's clothing and he licked his lips when his gaze reached her long pale legs before looking right back onto her beautiful and curious grey eyes again. She wasn't dressed fancy; honestly, Cassiopeia couldn't remember the last time she had had the opportunity of wearing something elaborate. Tonight, the girl only had just a red summer dress on with some embroidered white flowers and sandals.

"I like it," he decided. "But I like the person wearing it even more."

Cas smiled and moved closer to him, giving his lips a short kiss, only being interrupted when someone made a gagging sound just up the stairs.

"Go find a room, lovebirds," Ronald groaned, walking past the two.

"No room," Mrs Weasley said from somewhere in the small house, probably the kitchen. "Leave your brother be, Ronald."

Cas chuckled, walking down, and everyone turned to the door when a knock echoed through the house.

"Oh, that must be them," Mrs Weasley said excitedly, but when the door opened the vision the met the group was very different from Bill and any kind of girlfriend. "Professor Dumbledore," she exclaimed. "Come in, come in."

Wearing travelling robes and with his long beard tied by his waist, professor Dumbledore smiled politely at the redhead woman but didn't follow her words.

"I must apologise, Molly, but my visit here is quite short. I'm here for Cassiopeia."

The girl frowned.

"Me? Why…"

He nodded, and realisation finally fell on her. Dumbledore had sent a letter just two days prior saying he was going to pick her up and take her with him to where Harry lived, as he needed to have an important conversation with the two of teens.

"Oh," Cas' shoulders dropped "I'll be going."

Her boyfriend held her hand.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

But she just shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine," his girlfriend assured him. "Just tell Bill and his girlfriend I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here and that I'm looking forward to meeting her."

He confirmed and kissed her cheek, releasing Cassiopeia, but quickly undressing from his coat to offer it to her.

"In case it gets cold."

"Thank you," she smiled.

She walked out with the jacket over one of her arms, feeling it still warm from his body heat and emanating a mixture of the natural smell of his skin and some cologne.

"Sir," the young Malfoy walked to the headmaster's side, and he offered her his arm.

"Hold on tight, Miss Malfoy."

She complied and in a second her body was pulled.


	4. IV

The house in front of Cassiopeia and Dumbledore looked exactly like any other house in the street, with a car – a thing she only knew existed because George had shown her the one his father owned – that looked exactly like any other else in front of the other houses, but the master seemed to know exactly where he was going when he stepped in to knock on the door.

The man who opened it was probably the fattest Cassiopeia had seen so far in her short life, enough that he had no neck, but Dumbledore's presence was apparently enough to shut him up, and he didn't say anything while the two of them entered the place.

"Mr Dursley, you probably have never heard about my student, Miss Cassiopeia Malfoy."

Cas looked the muggle man from head to toe, noting quickly how his face was red and ready to explode. Somehow, that made this very pleasant for her.

"Good evening, sir," she said politely. "Thank you for having me in your home."

"I'm gonna suppose Harry hasn't warned you about my visit," Dumbledore noticed. "Come here, Harry. Let's see, come down. And you must be Petunia."

Moving her eyes away, Cas looked at the woman in just a robe and rubber gloves, looking like she'd just seen a headless ghost for the first time.

"And Dudley. Good evening, good evening. This is Miss Malfoy, we're here to talk to Harry."

Cassiopeia nodded to the two of them. The boy was a copy of his father when it came to his size, although with his mother's hair and eyes. "Let's sit down, Cassiopeia."

Cas complied silently, and soon he was serving all six of them with hydromel.

"Aren't we leaving, professor?" Potter looked between the two wizards, clearly eager to get out of the house.

"No, not yet. There's something that requires the attention of the two of you, some difficulty you might say."

Cassiopeia frowned. Was it something to do with Sirius? It was the only thing she and Harry had in common legally speaking.

"You see, we found Sirius' testament last week and he left everything for the two of you, to share in equal parts."

The blonde girl and the young boy exchanged looks. It was quite a surprise; Cassiopeia expected Harry to be left with everything and Sirius to leave her maybe some family portraits, but all of his belongings to share?

"The Order had installed itself for a long time now, but we still need the authorisation of the owner to remain inside," he explained, and she was ready to cut in when he continued. "We also fear that it might have a spell that only allows a pure-blood person to own the house."

They both turned to her at that moment, and the muggle family reflected on it just as well.

"Well," Cassiopeia hesitated. "If that is, it's okay. I mean… I don't mind, the Order can continue occupying the house, doesn't matter if it's fully mine or just…"

But Potter's voice interrupted her.

"I don't want it," he said emphatically. "You can have it. I don't want the house."

Cassiopeia frowned. That was a very quick decision.

"You certainly, don't mean…"

"I do," he insisted. "Your family lived there for centuries, he clearly wanted you to keep it."

She shook her head, making blonde-white strands falls onto her cheeks briefly before being pushed back behind her ears again.

"But he wanted you to have it just as well."

Potter didn't give up, though.

"I insist."

Cassiopeia was ready to argue, but Dumbledore interrupted the two quickly.

"Well, if that's it. Do both you still allow the Order to stay in the house, then?"

"Yes," she affirmed, this time simultaneously with Potter.

The headmaster nodded.

"Well… Owning the house also includes Kraster."

Cassiopeia squeezed her eyes for a moment. Kraster. Oh, Merlin, that elf was the definition of a pain in the ass.

With a movement of Dumbledore's wand, he showed up in front of the two of her, instantly falling on his knees the carpet.

"Kraster doesn't want Potter, Kraster doesn't want him. Kraster wants Miss Malfoy," he clung onto her feet.

Everyone's eyes once again fell on her.

"Does that means one of us has to stay with him?" she looked at Potter.

If he was insisting on her taking the house, she'd certainly not keep the elf around.

"You can do whatever you want with him," Dumbledore explained. "My suggestion is sending him to Hogwarts, the other elves can watch him."

Both the teens agreed fastly.

"Kraster, I want you to work with the other elves at the kitchens in Hogwarts."

Cassiopeia left out a clear relaxed sigh when he was gone, and the professor continued.

"Now, we need to decide what will happen to Buckbeak," he pointed out. "He's staying with Hagrid for the moment, we have renamed as Witherwings to keep him safe. Do you have any wish to change his living?"

The boy by her side looked at the slightly older girl, and she just shook her head. She had no attachment to the animal what so ever, his fate wasn't hers to decide.

"Hagrid can keep him, Buckbeak really likes him."

The professor confirmed.

"Well, then we are done. Go pick up your bags. Miss Malfoy, are you able to go to the burrow on your own?"

The girl confirmed, and he watched her after dispatching the boy's baggage.

"I will feel safer if you allow George to accompany you home tonight," the old wizard instructed. "It's rather late. Just tell Molly and Andromeda I asked and they'll probably let him stay the night."

Cassiopeia felt her face a bit warm as pink tinted her cheeks, and pulled her wand.

"Goodbye," she said politely, disapparating.

When she arrived at the back of the house everything was completely silent, but Mrs Weasley showed up quickly after hearing the noise of her showing up.

"Cassiopeia?" she frowned. "What are you doing here? Everyone is asleep."

The girl shifted uncomfortably on her spot.

"Professor Dumbledore sent me here and told me to ask you to tell George to escort me home. He said you wouldn't mind if he spent the night, it's too dangerous for anyone to be alone outside at this hour and my aunt is probably waiting up for me, the Burrow is close enough but her house is far away."

Andromeda never slept when Cassiopeia or Tonks weren't both home, and she didn't want to leave her waiting.

The redhead woman frowned a bit but gave her a soft nod.

"Of course, dear. Let me just get him up and get some clothes."

So she waited, and the woman showed up with a sleepy George by her side soon enough.

"Hey," the blonde looked up at her boyfriend and offered him the jacket that was still in her arms. "That's yours."

He yawned, and she took his arm with a shy smile.

"Goodnight, ma'am."

Her boyfriend's mother gave the two a strange look but didn't protest or change her mind.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."


	5. V

"Aunt Andromeda," Cassiopeia called while entering the house. "I'm home."

She walked into the living room with George – this time actually awakened by the shock of being magically dragged with his girlfriend – by her side, and her aunt frowned in surprise.

"Cassiopeia… And George?" she said slowly. "With a backpack."

"Dumbledore asked me to bring her home safe, ma'am," her boyfriend explained quickly. "And he said you wouldn't mind me staying over given the danger of being out alone these days."

The blonde teen lowered her head in embarrassment, staring at her aunt's feet.

"He's right," she sighed. "It's too dangerous for you to go home now, thank you for bringing Cassiopeia safely. You're welcome to stay, George, I'm sure Cassiopeia won't mind if you stay in her room as long as you two keep everything respectful."

The girl felt her face fully hot, and her boyfriend blushed deeply red.

"Of course, ma'am," he assured her. "I'll just use the bathroom for a moment, excuse me."

As soon as he was out of sight, Cassiopeia turned to her.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Andromeda," she insisted. "I wasn't planning to..."

She just raised a hand to interrupt her niece.

"I know," she assured her. "Dumbledore was right to send him with you, it's not safe to be out at night. If you need to stay at the Weasleys, just let me know anytime, I'll see no problem either. People are getting captured or killed out there and you being… you."

Cassiopeia nodded slowly. The Death Eaters were probably not very happy with the fact that she had bailed out; she didn't know a lot about them, but everything she knew was already in the Order's hands.

"I'll talk to Ted," she gave the teen a kind smile. "I trust you two to keep everything at a respectful level," she said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh, we…" the blonde girl cleared her throat, totally embarrassed. "We don't do… That. _That thing_. No, we don't."

She only nodded.

"Would you mind checking Dora on before going to bed?" she requested. "She doesn't look any good and won't talk to me. I was wondering if you'd be able to figure out what's going on."

Cassiopeia confirmed with her, and walked silently to her cousin's door, knocking with the back of her hand.

"Tonks?" she called. "Are you awake?"

No answer.

She opened her door slightly, putting her head inside. She could see her figure cocooned in her blankets, and her hair was a very normal shade of brown under the moonlight. Did her hair get normal when she was asleep? Cas couldn't quite remember.

"Tonks?" she whispered.

When she didn't answer, she just closed the door behind herself and walked to her own bedroom, finding George sat on her bed.

"Are you okay with your aunt?" he questioned, seeming worried.

"Yes," the teen said calmly. "She said I have a free pass to stay at the burrow if I have to too, I just have to let her know. It's dangerous outside."

Her boyfriend smiled at the idea, and Cas just chuckled before taking her pyjamas from inside the wardrobe and turned to him.

"Would… Uh…" she cleared her throat, embarrassed. "I need to change."

George's brown eyes widened and he jumped off of the bed.

"I'll wait outside."

He closed the door behind himself, and Cassiopeia felt her cheeks flaming hot as a small grin formed on her lips. Even in all that mess, he still managed to be cute.

Minutes later, her boyfriend was back inside and awkwardly laying on his back, stiff like a piece of steal.

"George," Cassiopeia called, though she was just as nervous. "You can relax."

In response, her boyfriend gave her a short look.

"You first."

Cassiopeia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"How do you sleep at home?"

He fuzzed a bit.

"On my side."

"Then turn to your side," she instructed.

He complied, silently turning and making himself more comfortable, and Cassiopeia turned to him when he was done, finding a perfect spot and crossing her arms in front of her chest, feeling both rubbing against his back and sincerely itching to hug him.

"Can…" she started, but her voice cracked, so she started again. "Can I put my arm over you?"

George made a strangled sound for a short moment, and Cas could see the back of his neck getting a bit pink.

"Sure."

Cassiopeia moved closer to him, and passed one arm over his waist, opening a tiny smile when he took her hand in his and held her closely.

"Goodnight," she muttered, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Goodnight."


	6. VI

The first thought that occurred to Cassiopeia when she opened her eyes was that she wasn't alone. Right in front of her and between her arms was a warm and toned body that wasn't usually there when the girl woke up in the morning.

When she took a long breath, her brain quickly identified George's scent, and she relaxed into him.

"Morning," he said in a rough and groggy voice, squeezing her a bit, making Cassiopeia open her eyes and raise them to look at him.

"I guess you're really here," she whispered. "Good morning."

Her boyfriend laughed, and the girl moved a hand up, moving the mess of red hair off his forehead.

"How did you sleep?" she questioned, trying to make herself smaller and getting closer to his embrace, searching for his warmth. This was good. She liked this. She could get used to this.

In response, George's hand moved to her face and Cas smiled at his thumb making patterns on her cheek.

"Well, I had you right here and Fred was nowhere around to wake me up with his snores," he pointed out. "This is one of the best nights of sleep I've ever had in my life."

The girl let out a very soft giggle.

"I could get used to it," he moved the hand that wasn't on her face to hold one of hers, interlacing their fingers and raising them a bit, so they could both see it. "Waking up next to you."

Cassiopeia just closed her eyes, breathing him in, but their moment was soon interrupted when the door of the room was opened.

"Good morning, kids," Mr Tonks said with a huge smile, moving his eyes over the two of them, clearly trying to see any evidence of what they were doing prior to his arrival.

"Good morning, sir," Cassiopeia moved away from George slowly. "I… Uh… Assume it's not as early as I thought."

He just shrugged.

"Don't worry, Andromeda just finished putting breakfast on the table."

Cassiopeia pushed the sheets away from her body hesitantly. She didn't want to leave her bed, but to leave her Aunt waiting wouldn't be very polite.

"We better brush our teeth," she pointed to the ginger following her steps, but Mr Tonks raised his hand.

"You go, Cassiopeia," he instructed. "I want to exchange a few words with George. Don't worry, I'll be quick."

She looked between the two of them, already feeling embarrassed, but didn't protest. The girl was in the corridor when she heard her aunt's husband's voice again, this time much more serious than when he was talking directly to her.

"George, I'm unsure of how much of this your parents have talked to you or how much information on the topic the school provided…" he started, and the sound of the door closing interrupted his speech, preventing Cassiopeia from hearing anything else.

Merlin… She did not want to be in her boyfriend's place right now, that was certain.

When she left the bathroom from brushing her teeth, Cassiopeia stopped by her cousin's door. Andromeda had asked her to talk to her the previous night, but Tonks was apparently asleep. Maybe she was up now.

"Hey," Cas opened the door, putting her head inside. "Tonks?"

"I want to be alone," she groaned. "Leave."

The blonde girl frowned. That was unexpected.

"Hey," she entered, confused, and closed the door behind herself. "What's wrong? What happened?"

She waited for a bit, and her cousin finally turned to the door's direction, still lied on the bed. Her usual pink hair had turned into a brown that was a nice mixture of her parents' hair colours, which was very unusual, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

Cassiopeia couldn't quite react at first. She'd never seen Tonks like that. She was always happy and bubbly, and the teen just couldn't understand what was wrong.

"I'm gonna get my wand," she straightened her back. "Who do I have to torture?"

But the brown-haired girl only offered a sad smile.

"Don't," she muttered. "You're gonna be arrested. And I'll probably have to be the one doing it."

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes and walked to her, sitting on the mattress and moving to touch her, a bit hesitantly. She didn't really know what to do to comfort her.

"What happened?" Cas questioned.

Tonks bit her lower lip.

"You remember that Remus had dinner with us the other day?" she asked.

The blonde nodded.

"Well…" she hesitated.

The understanding suddenly hit her. She was in love with him.

"Oh," she whispered. "Tonks."

Tonks closed her eyes, and Cassiopeia touched her cousin's face.

"I'm sorry," the girl whispered. "Did he…"

"He rejected me," she finished her sentence. "Said he was too old and damaged for me. That I was a child and didn't know what I was doing or thinking. I've never felt so humiliated!"

Her sobs interrupted her words, turning Cassiopeia's insides into fire, and she had to swallow down a curse. How dare he make her feel like that? How dare he spoke to her like that?

"I'm gonna go talk to him and get this right," she decided.

Tonks held her cousin's wrist before she could even stand up.

"You can't force him to love me, Cas."

Tonks was right, she couldn't. But she could at least make him apologise for the words he used to respond to her.

"No. But I can't let him hurt you like this and leave it this way," she retorted. "He might not love you back, but he can't talk to you and leave you humiliated like this."

Tonks took your hand in both of hers.

"Don't talk to him," she whispered. "Please."

Cassiopeia stopped in her spot, just looking at the face of the girl who'd simply taken her under her wing when she had nowhere to go. Merlin, she looked so broken. She couldn't leave her to that.

"Come eat with us," Cassiopeia said to her. "Aunt Andromeda is worried. Knowing that you're at least eating is going to calm her down."

She moved a hand to brown mossy her hair – a difficult and weird image, come to think of it –, pushing it away from her forehead and face.

"I don't want to see anyone," she closed her eyes.

But the request wasn't up for debate.

"I wasn't asking," Cassiopeia pointed out. "I'm commanding you to come to have breakfast with us."

Tonks raised her eyebrows in surprise but didn't say anything when her cousin pulled her to sit up on the mattress and took a comb from her bedside table, working on the knots in her hair as delicately as possible. Once they were done, Cassiopeia brushed it the way Tonk's usually styled her locks and dragged her cousin off of her bed.

"Go brush your teeth. I'll be at the table," she instructed and stopped herself from leaving the room when a thought crossed her mind. "Don't make me come back here and carry you out, you know I would do It,"

She shook her head, but Cassiopeia could see a tiny smile breaking from her lips.

"Fine," she sighed.

And with that – finally satisfied – she left.


	7. VII

"It was very embarrassing," George said, blushing slightly with his head resting on Cassiopeia's lap. "Your Uncle retold me everything I tried to not remember from McGonagall's special classes that week."

She felt her face warming up. She remembered the week of 'special' classes she had once she reached both her second and third year. The first – on her earlier ear – was directly focused on girls and the blond had had to hear about how her body would change and she'd start having her period from a very tired Madam Pomfrey, who was clearly done with the all-female class of 12-13-year-olds giggling about the basic information about the male puberty.

The following year, however, wasn't so private. Snape had had the whole third year of Slytherin in his classroom and explained not only what 'intercourse' was, but also the mechanics of it, how it led to conception and how to avoid said conception with spells and potions that the students would end up learning at their sixth and seventh years. As embarrassing as it was, though, she now thought of it as a good approach to the subject.

"Who taught you in the first class?" Cas asked.

George thought in silence for a moment.

"I think it was Madam Pomfrey. She looked very…" he looked for words.

"Done?" his girlfriend suggested.

"Very done. Everyone was laughing or making 'ew' noises… And after 3rd it was only worse. Did you get those?"

She nodded.

"Snape had to explain what consent was to us," she told him. "And contraceptives. I mean…" the girl made a face, cringing at the sole memory. "It can't get worse than that."

Her boyfriend nodded, mirroring her expression on his own face.

"And then dad came to talk to us and it was so much worse," he whined. "He couldn't even talk! It was me, Fred and Ron in the living room, he'd done the talking with Percy, Bill, and Charlie before and I don't think it was much easier."

Cassiopeia laughed. Her mother had a similar conversation with her, but it was a bit different. She just said how things worked mechanically and how she had the right to reject any advances that made her uncomfortable. She never mentioned potions or spells, and was adamant that her daughter was only supposed to be intimate after wedding a proper man, and only then.

When a thought crossed her mind, the girl bit her lower lip, feeling her face warming up once again.

"Do you… uh… I mean…" she cleared her throat. "Ever think…?"

George blushed so much that Cas thought he'd disappear in all the blood on his face, ears and neck.

"Once…" he choked the word out. "Or… Twice. But not if you're not ready we… uh…"

"We're very young," she decided, feeling her neck burning hot. "We have a lot of time."

Her boyfriend just confirmed.

"Yeah. We've been together for such a short time."

She nodded.

"No need to rush."

They fell into silence after that, both clearly embarrassed. Cassiopeia couldn't say she hadn't thought of getting closer to George in that sense, but she didn't feel close to ready. It could change everything in their relationship and she couldn't begin to imagine how.

The young woman took a long breath, throwing her head back and feeling the wind on her face. When she opened her eyes, her boyfriend was staring at her with a foolish smile.

"What?" she frowned.

"You're beautiful," he put himself on his elbows. "Have I ever mentioned that?"

She felt her cheeks warming up in response.

"Sometimes," she simply whispered.

George smiled, moving up until he was levelled with her, and kissed her cheek shortly.

"You're gorgeous," he gave her skin another peck. "Intelligent…" he moved close to her mouth. "Sweet…" he bit her lower lip. "Loving…"

Cassiopeia's eyes drifted closed when he finally kissed her lips, and in no time they were both lying down on the grass with him on top of her, cupping her face gently and using his thumb to caress her skin.

"And incredibly brave," he finished. "That's why I love you."

Cassiopeia's whole face felt burning hot as soon as he'd done saying the words, and she moved a hand to touch his cheek.

"You do?"

George nodded and she leant forward, kissing his lips softly.

"I… uh…" she struggled.

How could he say those words? Dammit, they weren't easy.

"It's okay," he rubbed his nose on hers. "Don't worry about saying it back."

She didn't try again. George knew her well enough that he didn't expect such words to be returned so soon.

"But I do," he repeated. "I love you."


End file.
